The Daily Yonder

Holly Warren was recently leafing through one of her old medical school textbooks, trying to recall how much instruction she’d received in addiction medicine – trying to recall, “Did we even talk about this? Was it even on our radar?” “And it really just wasn’t,” Warren said. She received an excellent education two decades ago at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, then at Duke University for internal medicine.

A vacant lot sits between two houses on a residential street. The vegetation is a bit overgrown but otherwise unremarkable. It helps keep the street from being an unbroken string of single-family homes or duplexes, and contributes to the middle-class, neighborhood vibe. Nothing wrong with that, but at a time when there aren’t enough homes for all the people who would like to buy one at a price they can afford, this asset might get put to a more productive use.

A free transit program for older adults is becoming an increasingly important lifeline across Central Texas. One of the Capital Area’s Rural Transit System’s (CARTS) fastest-growing initiatives is a free ride program for older people.

Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in Path Finders, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Like what you see here? You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article and receive more conversations like this in your inbox each week. Heather Hansman is a journalist and storyteller based in Durango, Colorado, about 30 minutes away from where I live in southwest Colorado.

This story was originally published by KFF Health News. Seasonal work. Inconsistent hours. Frequent moves. Cash payments and informal jobs. For farmworkers who rely on Medicaid, these common employment patterns could put their health coverage at risk. It’s a heightened concern for the estimated million-plus farmworkers who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, as a new work requirement kicks in for the federal-state healthcare program that serves low-income and disabled Americans.

Every week, Yonder Radio brings rural conversations with national reach to listeners around the country. We begin with a story from KFF Health News about the ongoing rollout of the Rural Health Transformation Program. Reporter Sarah Jane Tribble explains how large companies are well-positioned to benefit as states scramble to meet deadlines for administering the funds. Then, we head to rural Nebraska to learn about the social benefits of livestock sale barns.

Recently, I found myself on the ground looking up at the sky and the outstretched hands of friends who tried to keep me from falling after a misstep. I wasn’t injured, thanks to a fortuitous distribution of padding on my backside and a thick skull. And if witnesses are to be believed (which I choose to do), my slow-motion fall was remarkably graceful. There was relieved laughter once it was clear I was okay. Except, I think, from the friend who broke her hip last year.

Living and working in a rural community can be isolating. The long days of organizing, chasing funding, and building relationships are taxing. The leaders of Rural Assembly believe their upcoming national broadcast, Rural Assembly Everywhere: Connecting Communities, will be “a source of enthusiasm and inspiration for people on the ground in their communities doing hard work throughout the year,” said Taneum Fotheringill, Rural Assembly Director of Programs and Partnerships.

Editor’s Note: A version of this story also appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the hardiest horror movie fan out there.

Editor’s Note: This post is from our data newsletter, the Rural Index, headed by Sarah Melotte, the Daily Yonder’s data reporter. Subscribe to get a weekly map or graph straight to your inbox. Rural residents in states that participate in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace are losing health insurance coverage at higher rates than their urban and suburban counterparts, according to my analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).